Toxic Colors
by AhhYesItsFangirly
Summary: Pollution's the youngest of the apocalyptic horsepersons, and he knows it. This leads to him trying his best to prove himself to Famine, whose approval matters quite a bit to him. Pollution/Famine fluff.


**A/N Ahhh I really loved these two x3 Idk if I did them justice though... Oh well. Also, the site was really weird about uploading this and I dunno if it came out right, so if words are missing or something I dunno what to tell you. Sigh. Anyway, uh, enjoy!**

The man in black was awoken that night by a being in white. Too tired to yet process anything, such as the location and the urgency in the being's voice, he simply found himself staring. The light of the moon poured down from the hotel room window, causing the figure to me illuminated in a ghostly blue light. Long, unkempt hair fell down around his shoulders like snowy vapors of mist. His eyebrows raised upwards slightly in a look of nervous desperation. "Wake up!" His voice was fluttery and soft and had a tone of urgency to it. "Raven! Black! Sable!" He tried multiple aliases before giving up and crying, "Famine, wake up!"

Slowly, Famine did just that, groggily sitting up a bit. The being in white, who had been over and all but on top of him, moved to his side, sitting down beside him on the hotel room bed. "Pollution?! Wh- What are you doing here?" asked the man in black. His words were slurred with sleepiness. He rubbed his eyes and ran a hand through his ebony hair.

"I need to show you something!" Pollution replied, words soft but desperate. "Come _on_!" He grabbed the other's arm, giving him a sharp tug.

Famine did not know Pollution well, admittedly. He probably could stand to know him better. He was the youngest of the horsepersons, after all, and their relationship was… sketchy. They did not talk much, and they hardly spent any time together. Maybe famine and pollution as concepts in and of themselves just did not mix well. Famine was not sure, and was not exactly awake enough to figure it out. "What is it, Pollution?" he finally asked, blinking sleepily.

"I need to show you something!" the boy in white repeated, pulling at the other horseperson again. "Come on, we might miss it!"

With a tired, defeated groan, Famine sat up and allowed the younger boy to pull him out of bed, onto his still-tired feet. He looked around, sighing and wetting his lips. The whole hotel room was dark, lit only by the faint moonlight that came through that one window. His dark eyes stared for a moment, admiring the night sky, the stars that were nearly nonexistent due to the heavy amount of city lights and smog. It was nice, he thought. But now, his attention turned back to Pollution, who was shifting his weight from one foot to the other, looking impatient and eager.

A new thought came to Famine's mind. "How did you find me, anyway?"

Pollution blinked. Light, ghostly eyes rested on Famine's darker ones. "War." he ended up answering simply. "She told me." He had been planning this for multiple weeks now. "When I found out you would be staying in a lakeside town I knew I had to come over there."

"What?" Famine blinked. Pollution blinked. Neither said anything else for a moment. Then, Pollution hopped forward, grabbing at the other horseperson's arm and tugging him towards the door. "Where are you taking me?" the dark man asked, hesitantly allowing the younger of the two to drag him out of the hotel room. His eyes glanced briefly to the clock. It was eleven PM. What business could Pollution possibly have at eleven PM in a small lakeside town?

Turning back to Famine, Pollution winked. "A balcony. Got the best view in the world. Come on, you'll see what I mean." Famine did not understand. He was tired, and confused, and honestly he was rather annoyed with the younger horseperson. Despite these factors, however, he allowed himself to be lead out of the hotel room.

XXX

The night was on the colder side. The town, like all cities, was active even at night. Lights shown from stores and signs and cars, and the sounds of vehicles – screeching and honking and zooming over the street – could be heard. It was a magical sort of place, Famine would think, remembering the old days when such things settings did not exist. Pollution was probably too young to really remember those times…

Oh well, it did not matter. What did matter was the fact that Pollution had continued to keep a tight grip on Famine's hand, dragging him down the street. No one turned to look. No one _ever_ turned to look at Pollution, Famine thought. Pollution was just… there, and people accepted it. And even if they did not accept it, they really never bothered to do anything about it. It was a good thing, Famine decided, at least under these circumstances. It was nice not having to worry about heads turning and eyes following. Instead, he could just appreciate the city and wonder silently where the other horseman was leading him.

Finally, they came to a tall building. It did not stand out much, seeing as the other buildings beside and around it were of similar height. Famine stared at it for a moment. It was a restaurant. No, multiple restaurants. A vertical mall of some sort, each level having a different place or selection of places to eat. "The top floor," Pollution murmured, an arm slowly extending to the top of the building, where he pointed. "There's a balcony out there with an amazing view."

"View of what?" Famine asked, still unsure of what Pollution even wanted. He was given no answer, however, as the younger horseperson lead him inside.

The first floor was nice. Fancy, even. A café of sorts. It was still open, and rather busy, with people all around enjoying late-night snacks and watching a singer at the front of the room. Famine watched her for a moment, listening to the way her words slurred into single, harmonious sounds, admiring the deep richness that her voice possessed. Her hips swayed slightly, and the dark blue sparkles on her dress glistened and glimmered under the dim café lights.

Famine did not have a very long amount of time to look at her, for suddenly Pollution gave him another tug. "Come on. We can come back here later," he murmured. Famine turned to look at Pollution, and the white clothing he wore gave him a striking, out of place look against the soft reds and blacks and golds of the café. The man in black had to blink a few times, his mind trying to orient itself correctly, before giving a nod.

As the two horsepersons left the first floor, Famine was vaguely aware of one of the waiters whisper nervously to another, "I don't know what happened! We're just… out of food!"

XXX

The second and third floors were both more shopping-center-style food courts, with small stores scattered around them. The fourth floor was closed, but apparently it specialized in Asian cuisine. Passing quickly past the fifth floor, which was empty except for a sign that advertised the restaurant-to-be, they finally came up to the final floor of the building. It was still open, but quiet and almost empty. The walls were a dark blue with odd patterns and swirls painted over it, and quiet, calming music played from the speakers on the ceilings. A few people sat scattered around, sipping drinks and talking quietly amongst themselves, seemingly unaware of the presence of the two horsepersons.

"What type of food do they sell here?" Famine asked curiously.

Pollution gave a shrug. "Dunno. I only come here for the view." He smiled, tugging slightly at Famine's shoulder now. It had not occurred to the man in black until just now that he was still wearing nightclothes. Oh well. No one really ever noticed them, and… they stood out enough as it was, slightly out of place clothing would do nothing to add or take away from their general oddness.

Famine allowed Pollution to lead the way, following the horseperson now to the other end of the quiet restaurant. There was a small balcony deck, with three tables sitting on it and a short wall that allowed a person to look out at the city without risk of falling off. "You can see the lake from here." Pollution explained, words soft and rather dreamy-sounding all of a sudden. He let go of Famine and walked over to the wall, leaning over it and letting out a whimsy hum. "Come look at this, Famine. Beautiful…"

Was this what Pollution had led him all this way for? Curious, Famine walked over to the wall, looking out over it. For a moment he noticed nothing out of the ordinary, then his dark eyebrows rose slightly. The lake. It was… Was it _rainbow_? Yes, he realized, leaning forward.

"So magnificent," Pollution breathed out, leaning over the wall to the point that Famine worried he would fall over. "Outstanding…"

It was rather nice, Famine agreed with a quiet sigh. The lake itself was a deep black, but something else shone over it as well. Hues of every color imaginable, metallic greens and electric blues and blood reds, could be seen, as though the whole thing were a giant oil painting. Oil. Yes, that was exactly what it was, Famine suddenly realized. "What did you do?" he asked the other horseman quietly, a small smile on his thin lips.

Pollution let out a breathy chuckle. "I'd been watching this place for a while now." Ever since he had found out that Famine would be spending some time here… "Found out a big plane full of some sort of toxic waste would be flying over. Couldn't resist." He hummed a soft, eerie tune that sent shivers down Famine's spine. "It's my favorite sight in the whole world, oil on water. So damn _beautiful_."

"It is," Famine agreed, distracted by the sight. It was the subtlety of it, perhaps, that was the best part. Nothing extravagant, like War often enjoyed producing, but simply a few splashes of toxic color.

"Oh, and that's not all!" Pollution suddenly said, sounding excited. "See that down there?" He leaned down, pointing at a small building on the peer that Famine could not quite make out. The horseperson in black frowned, raising an eyebrow. "It's a packaging plant, for fish." He pointed to another place, this one out on the water. "That's the harbor where the fishing boats stay." There was a pause as Famine tried to figure out how this added up. "It's a fishing town, Famine."

Famine nodded. "I know that." he replied. He _was_ famine; he of all people should know how the food supply worked!

Grinning, Pollution gave a soft, cheerful laugh. "It's not much, I know. I mean… nothing compared to what you can do, but… it'll cause a few issues, won't it? Not being able to fish? Nothing close to a _famine_ of any sorts, but hopefully a little... effective."

And then, it sunk in. Famine drew in a soft breath, eyes on Pollution, staring at him curiously. "You did my job." he murmured. "Why?" Was he trying to become the new horseperson of famine or something? But that didn't make any sense! So… what were his motives?!

Pollution shrugged at this, humming. "I guess I just… I…" He breathed a soft sigh now, shaking his head. "I really… look up to you, I suppose."

Famine's eyebrows rose at this. "Look up to me?" he repeated. Why would he look up to _him_?! Nobody looked up to him! He stared at Pollution incredulously, trying to find some sort of hidden meaning behind his words. Surely he was trying to… do something. Persuade him to do something, or bribe him, or something. He swallowed. "But…"

"I know it's silly." Pollution chuckled in a whimsical manner and fidgeted with his fingers. "War said the same thing. It _is_ silly. But I just… think it's amazing. What you do. I wish I could do the same." He sighed and shrugged. "Sometimes I feel so _new_ to this."

For reasons Famine would never be able to explain, he felt pity for the other form in the pit of his stomach. He sighed and took a step closer, causing Pollution to jump with surprise and turn, staring curiously. "You are pretty new to it." Famine said now. Pollution raised an eyebrow, and the man in black laughed. "I mean, compared to War and Death and I? You're a _baby_!"

Pollution's face flushed a bit, if that were even possible with how very pale he was, and he huffed. "Wh- Wha-"

Famine interrupted him with a pat on the shoulder and the words, "But you know, that makes it more amazing that you're capable of this stuff." He glanced out to the lake, to the rainbow oil that painted the water. Pollution went silent once more. "I mean, this is a big thing! Look at it!"

A small smile formed on Pollution's lips and he let out a soft hum. "I suppose so." he breathed out, eyes staring out, over the balcony, fixated on his creation. "It really is beautiful…"

"It is." Famine agreed. "And it's all your doing." He laughed again, this one kinder. "I don't deserve your appreciation, Pollution. Not when you can do things like this."

Pollution frowned now, pursing his lips. For a moment he was silent, and Famine worried that perhaps he had offended the other horseperson. He hoped not. Then, after glancing out to the water once more, his eyes then wandering up to stare at the sky, he said softly, "We should work together sometime. Between the two of us we could probably take down a whole country."

"Hah, yeah, that'd be nice."

Pollution and famine really did go awfully well together, after all.

-End


End file.
